David Mitchell: David Pollard lived life of purpose, was committed to Carver community

There was an emptiness to every phone conversation I had on Monday.

Individuals I know to be lively and bright spirits spoke with an uncommonly even tone. There was no laughter. There were no jokes. There was no talk of winning games or regions or championships.

Just shock.

“There’s nothing in the coaching book to prepare you for this,” current LaGrange and former Northside baseball coach David Smart told me.

He was referring to the death of Carver baseball coach David Pollard, who was struck by an individual driving a stolen Audi at the intersection of Buena Vista and Andrews Roads.

Some coaches were colleagues or peers, who knew Pollard as a coach committed to helping his student-athletes improve on a struggling program. Others were close friends, who knew him as a devoted husband and father to his 9-year-old daughter.

Each shared the same glowing descriptions of the man’s character.

“He was dedicated,” said former Shaw baseball and football coach Charles Flowers, who coached Pollard when he was a member of the Raiders. “He did things the right way. He didn’t buy into the myth that Carver couldn’t win. He wanted to build a program.”

“His team may not have been undefeated or the best team in the region, but he went out every day and coached them like they were,” said Carver girls basketball coach Anson Hundley, who was a close friend of Pollard’s. “Hopefully these young men can start to walk and emulate a great guy like he was.”

Northside’s Dee Miller called him a “brother.” Lady Patriots softball coach Brandon Jenkins, who played against Pollard in high school, described him as a hard-nosed, tough player. Ricky Stone, an assistant principal at Northside who coached Pollard in high school, praised his desire to help young student-athletes grow on and off the field.

Hardaway’s Chris Gilstrap likened him to a father for his athletes, Harris County’s Steve Westmoreland said he was impressed with Pollard’s unwavering pride for his team, and Shaw’s Pat McGregor commented on what a huge loss to the Bi-City coaching community it was.

The response was overwhelming.

The brief interactions I had with Pollard echo much of what fellow coaches and close friends have shared.

To be honest, there are some coaches in the area I just don’t get much of a chance to connect with. They coach struggling teams and, as a result, I don’t get many opportunities to go out and see them play. Likewise, some assume that because they don’t have much success, there isn’t much use in fighting with us for their players to get more exposure or have a chance to be recognized on the All-Bi-City teams.

That wasn’t the case for Pollard.

Two seasons ago, Carver won seven games. Last year it won four. And yet both years, Pollard nominated players for All-Bi-City and followed up with text messages to me to fight for his players to be recognized along with those on more heralded teams.

After the 2015 school year had ended, I received messages from Pollard asking if I knew of any All-Star games or tournaments around the area that he could get his players involved in. A long season that ended in a 4-18 record was over, but Pollard was still focused on helping his athletes improve.

And it wasn’t just the athletes. Pollard sponsored an event called “Thanksgiving Cuts” last November that brought area barbers to the school and provided deserving students who may not have been able to afford it with a professional haircut. In a message notifying the Ledger-Enquirer of the event, he said that “when you look good, you feel good about yourself.”

That was Pollard’s goal in life: To make others feel better about themselves, whether his family at home or the one sitting with him in the Carver High dugout.

Northside baseball coach Dee Miller said on Monday that he prayed with his team that Pollard had fulfilled that purpose on earth and that “God was calling one of his angels home.”

I think the enormous response from the Carver and Columbus community is evidence that Pollard did just that.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "David Mitchell: David Pollard lived life of purpose, was committed to Carver community."